New Arrival
by Dash-Rendar
Summary: UPDATED! Kyle goes to pick up the last of the recruits and get ready to head off to Yavin IV, but can they make it there in time for the introduction ceremony? R & R!
1. Tatooine

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Jedi Academy. Characters and situations are mine, with the help of Darkness1. Many thanks.

Star Wars: The New Arrival 

Chapter 1: Tatooine

The low call of a bantha echoed through the Beggar's Canyon, shortly followed by the shrill cry of a Tusken Raider. A tall, brownish reddish haired boy clutched at his E-11 Blaster Rifle, while staring idly at the star filled sky. The gun had dents and scratches from countless sand storms working on the old moisture evaporators. The boy reached over to release the safety catch, when his father, two miles away, called him.

"Utsuru, where are you son? A squad of Sand People is headed this way!" Grabbing his electro binoculars, Raven Yabonaba scanned the horizon. He again called, "Utsuru! Where are you?" When no answer returned, he muttered, "Stupid, arrogant, little retch. I never should have bought you that landspeeder."

Just then, Raven's comlink signaled. He grabbed it and punched "Transmit." He barked, "Yes, what is it?" Relief soon flooded him as he heard Utsuru's voice.

"Dad, I saw a bantha a few miles off the old east evaporators. I'm over here with my rifle and speeder. I'm going after him." The transmission was interrupted by a loud screech from a Sand Person. Before it cut out completely, Raven heard the fast discharging of the blaster. He yelled, "Utsuru! Stars and galaxies! I hope you have backup." Then, just to be safe, he grabbed his own rifle and hopped onto a battered swoop bike and roared off in the direction of the east evaporators.

At the evaporators, Utsuru shot a quick burst of fire from his rifle at the Sand Person on a ledge about ten feet up. It just grunted and threw his gaffi stick at the youth. Utsuru ducked and grabbed the single thermal detonator from his belt, throwing it up. The blast knocked the Tusken from his perch, onto level playing field with Utsuru. It ran over and knocked the rifle out of his grasp, then went to retrieve its gaffi stick. Utsuru, faintly conscious, tried to grab his rifle, which was just out of reach. The Sand Person had found its stick and stabbed Utsuru's left arm. Crying out, he strained and, suddenly the weapon slid about a foot closer, within rolling distance. Surprised, he rolled to it and pulled a quick burst off, hitting the Raider squarely in the back of the head. The laser bolt pierced his skull, leaving only a small hole as evidence. It roared a hoarse challenge and collapsed, gadderffi stick lost in the dust of the desert. Utsuru stared at his own hand in disbelief. _How did I _do_ that?_ He thought. Then, a quick flashback occurred, he remembered his father telling him about the Old Republic and the Jedi Knights. How they were able to use something called the Force. Still wondering about the past, the roar of a swoop bike reached his ears.

Raven called, "Utsuru! Thank the maker you're okay!" He noticed the fallen Sand Person. Checking the robe color and checking the style of the gaffi stick, he roared, "You killed him? How could you? This is the leader of the Tusken clan H'arrattr. You realize you just put a death toll on your own head?"

Utsuru numbly responded, "He attacked first. I was just defending myself." He staggered over to his speeder and sat down with his head swaying lightly in his hands. "What was I supposed to do Dad? Just stand there and let him kill me? Die because I was fixing an old evaporator?" He turned on the speeder and revved the engine, churning up a miniature sandstorm beneath his vehicle. "I'll see you at home. I've got work to finish." With that, he roared away, pointing his speeder in the direction of Anchorhead.

Raven shook his head and was about to climb onto his speeder, when the Tusken grunted. Slowly, the creature sat up and began trying to find his gaffi stick. Once it had the weapon, it began to advance on Raven. "No! Stay back! I'm warning you!" He flicked off the safety catch and raised his blaster. He depressed the trigger… but the gun remained quiet. He tried again, but to the same effect. He finally noticed that there was no power pack inside his gun. Desperately trying to pull one from his belt, he forgot to keep an eye on the Raider. It roared a quick battle cry and with a mighty swing of its gaffi stick, pierced through Raven's skull. The man collapsed heavily on the ground, creating a small dust storm. The Raider trundled off to find its mount, becoming a smaller and smaller speck on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Utsuru was wondering where his father was. He wondered, "Why isn't Dad back yet? He should have been back hours ago." He pulled out his comlink and while punching in his father's frequency, he muttered, "Must be over at the Lard's stead." When the comlink beeped for about a minute, he knew something was wrong. Shutting it down, he reactivated it and punched in the Lard's homestead. Mr. Lard answered, "Yes? James speaking."

Utsuru said, "This is Utsuru. Is my father there?"

James thought deeply, "No, he's not here now, but he stopped by a few hours ago on his way to Anchorhead for supplies. Why?" But the last word didn't go through, since his comlink had started beeping, signaling that Utsuru had cut the connection. "Blasted teenagers. No respect."

Utsuru tried every known homestead, trying to find his father. All turned up the same: no one had seen him for hours. He glanced at the chronometer on the wall, seeing the time was 23:59. He went to activate the security field and shut the power down for the night. "Dad will be back tomorrow," he told himself and went to sleep. But it eluded him. The night was filled with horrible nightmares of his father's death. Every time Utsuru woke up, drenched in sweat, he shook his head and went back to sleep, only to be plagued with a different dream. The process continued until he finally had enough of it. He pulled on a tunic, a pair of pants and pulled on his utility belt, blaster strapped securely in place.

He wrote a small note for his mother, "Dad still not back yet. Gone to look for him. Back soon. Utsuru" and ran to the garage and roared off in his speeder, starting with the nearest set of evaporators, to the north. He found everything there was clear, besides a few womp rats, which he blasted and moved to the west, finding the exact same thing. Going to the south, he found a damaged, sparking evaporator and a few lone dewbacks, munching on some wires. He let it go, thinking he'd fix it later, moving to the east evaporators.

He found his father's swoop still idling where he had left it. As if he knew what had happened, he yelled, "DAD! Where are you?" He repeated this several time, running forward, sand flying behind him. He saw the footprints walking away from the cliff, where the Tusken had been. Swallowing a growing lump in his throat, he slowly moved forward. When he was about ten feet in front of the cliff, he noticed an unmoving shape, spread eagled on the ground.

Utsuru said, almost frightfully, "Dad?" The shape didn't move. He moved a foot closer. "Dad?" Again, no response or movement. Two feet this time. "Dad?" Nothing. He walked as slowly as he dared towards it, slowly seeing the blood stained sand around the area. He knew what was coming before he saw it. One last time he called, "Dad?" The word echoed around the cliff, causing him to jump. Braving it, he walked forward to see the shattered pieces of skull around his father's broken body. When he saw this, he turned his head and vomited, no longer able to hold his stomach. He just sat down next to his father's body and cried. His comlink signaled, so he sniffed, tears still in his eyes and turned on the device.

His mother's voice asked, "Utsuru, have you found your father? He's still not back."

His voice barely a whisper, he said, "He's dead mom. He's dead."

Silence came back from the other end. He shut down the communication and hitched the swoop to his speeder, dumping his father's body in the backseat of the speeder. Angry with himself, almost, he kicked the rear cargo canister of the battered bike Just then, he noticed a flash of silver inside. Curious, he grabbed it, seeing it was a hilt of some sort. Noticing the stud on the side, he pushed it, bringing the lightsaber to life with a _snaphisssss_. The silver blade cast an eerie glow around the immediate area, starling Utsuru. Hitting the stud again, the blade vanished with a _shhhhppp._ Roaring back to the house, he wondered why his father had hidden it from him. Finally reaching the compound, he rushed inside, asking his mother about the hilt.

"Why did you hide it from me? I had a right to know about this! Just because I know about something, doesn't mean I'm going to run around like some crazy Jedi, trying to save the galaxy from evil!"

She shuddered visibly, saying, "We wanted to protect you. Your grandfather was a Jedi; he died during the Clone Wars. We thought if we had hid this from you, you wouldn't want to go around and do just what he did: save the galaxy from evil."

Just as she finished, a dark, cowled figure stepped into the kitchen. Speaking in a deep voice, the intruder said, "Sorry to intrude. I'm here to talk to Utsuru."

Well, that's chapter one people. Hope you liked it! Thanks to Darkness1 for help with the names of the characters (some you've already met, some you'll meet later on)

R & R please! Mission suggestions will be taken. Also, as with Darky, my MSN is open to anyone who wants to talk to me in a nice way. The address is please don't rush me to update anything. I've got school, music lessons, Youth group and Sunday worship band practice. Darkness1 fills beta reading position, so don't bother asking to do so.

Thanks

DashRendar


	2. Decisions

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or Jedi Academy. Characters and situations are mine, with the help of Darkness1. Many thanks.

Chapter 2: Questions

Utsuru asked carefully, "Are you a recruitment officer for the Jedi?"

The figure pulled back his hood, revealing a rugged face, with a full-fledged brown beard and blue eyes. Laughing merrily, he said, "Very insightful young man. Yes, I'm Kyle Katarn from the Jedi Academy. I've heard about there being a relative of an Inego Yabonaba living here, so I decided to follow the lead. Are you the one I've heard so much about?" He laughed again, not knowing what had just happened. "You must be the one, since I sense the Force coming strongly from you. May I sit down?" He indicated the chairs around the small table.

Utsuru eyed his mother, who nodded. "I'll go get some refreshments. I'll leave you two to talk." With that, she rose and went to the kitchen.

"So, Utsuru, when did you first figure out you were part of a Jedi lineage? Any strange things happen? Being able to read thoughts or being able to pull things without touching them?" Kyle asked, staring at Utsuru, along with the strange furnishings.

"Well, the first time was a long time ago, seven years actually, when I was able to see something in the future."

"Was it far into the future, or a short time?"

Utsuru paused; recalling the event when he saw his father would be swarmed by womp rats at the west evaporators and how he had run there on foot to help kill the annoying varmints. "A short time, five hours. Why?"

Kyle murmured thoughtfully, "No reason. Just curious. Continue."

"A more recent one was when I was attacked by a Sand Person, my blaster rifle was a few feet away and when I wished it was in my hand, it slid a few inches closer, allowing me to roll over and pick it up."

At this point, Jasmine Yabonaba, Utsuru's younger sister walked in and screamed, "STRANGER! MOM!" She ran into the kitchen to find her mother busy making a small Jawa cake and juma juice.

Mrs. Yabonaba smiled, "Yes, he's here to talk with your brother. Leave them be. Go watch a holo tape or practice your acting." With that, she walked out, carrying the food and drinks out on a tray.

Jasmine sniffed, "Sure, they all come for Suru. Never me!"

Kyle glanced up from his conversation with Utsuru when the scent of fresh Jawa cake reached his nostrils. "Thank you," he said, reaching out with the Force to take the tray, startling Michelle. "Come join us please. I'm going to need to ask you some questions about your son."

She pulled a chair up. "If you're looking for my permission to let him go with you, I have no say in the matter. It's up to him." She poured herself some juice and took a swig from the glass.

Kyle looked at her; surprised she would be so, almost, carefree about giving her permission for her only son to leave home. "Well, we were going to get to that, but since that's already answered, we'll move on." He paused and then asked slowly, "When did you first realize Utsuru had the Force?"

She said, "I didn't. His father…." Her voice trailed off, but returned with a quiver. "His father had known before he was born. His father was, as you already know, a Jedi who fought in the Clone Wars and killed during the Empire's Jedi purge."

Kyle asked hesitantly, "May I speak to your husband please?" He suddenly felt a pang of sadness reach the Force, the energy flowing from a recent wound in Michelle.

"He was… he was… killed last night. Tusken Raider killed him." The words came in clips because of the tears flowing freely from her eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss. I shall come back after you have had proper time to mourn." He rose to leave, chair scraping the floor, robes swishing.

Utsuru looked at his mother, then at Kyle. He already knew he had his mother's permission, but he fought with his own heart, knowing it would be hard for his mother without him. Just as Kyle hit the door, he called, "Take me with you. I want to become a Jedi, no matter the stakes. I already have a lightsaber, so I won't need to build one." He pulled the small sliver hilt from his belt and passed it to the Jedi Master.

Kyle, surprised he hadn't found it earlier on the boy's person, activated the small weapon, silver blade crackling into existence, air smelling of lightning. "Where… where did you find this? Do you realize how rare a silver crystal is?" He tested the balance of the weapon, waving it to and fro.

"I found it in my father's swoop bike's cargo compartment." He beckoned to Kyle, "I might have missed something. I'll show you where it was.

They went out to the garage, where the bike was resting by the speeder, battered as ever. Utsuru pulled open the cargo hatch fully and showed it to Kyle. The older man searched the compartment carefully and pulled out a hidden compartment with a small note scrawled in his father's handwriting: If you are reading this, take good care of my father's lightsaber. It is a prized possession that should be treasured. Raven Yabonaba.

"Hmmm. Well, we know how the crystal came around. Your grandfather was one of the last Jedi to possess a silver crystal. They have regrown in the caves of Ilum, so we have quite a few of them now. You _will_ still have to build your own lightsaber, but I will permit you to keep this one on account of it being a family heirloom."

Utsuru nodded. "Makes sense. I just need to grab a few things and then we can go." He ran back through the house, reaching his room. Just as he was pulling out his suitcase, Jasmine walked in, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest.

"You're leaving, aren't you? That weird guy out in the garage is a Jedi, here to teach you how to save the whole bloody galaxy. Isn't he?"

Utsuru shot her a look, clearly annoyed. "I wouldn't say that, but he is a Jedi. What, sorry you can't be in the spotlight?" He shook his head, hair swinging. "For once, can't you just be happy for me, instead of always being jealous?"

She finally snapped, eyes brimming with tears. She rushed over to give her brother a hug, probably one of the last times she would ever get to see him. "I don't want you to leave!" She started sobbing into his tunic, salty tears soaking into the roughly woven fabric. "I know I treat you badly, but you're still my brother and I love you."

Sensing that she actually meant it, Utsuru wrapped his arms around his sister, drawing her closer to him, stroking her auburn hair. "It's okay squirt. I'll come back. Just 'cause I'm leaving doesn't mean I'm going to die. Calm down." The last words were simply a whisper, not wanting to provoke her emotions any further.

In between sobs, she said, " I know. I just know that something bad is going to happen. Promise me…. promise me you'll be careful. I already lost dad. I don't want to lose you too." She pulled away from him, eyes filled with her usual defiance.

He smiled and lightly punched her in the shoulder. "You got it. I'll come back in one piece. " He then pushed her out the door. "I need to pack now. Scram!" He laughed when she stormed haughtily down the hall. He pulled his clothes from his small, crammed closet and placed them into his suitcase, snapping the lid shut. When he reached the door, he stopped, turning to look at his room for the last time. A memory of his father tucking him in every night as a small child popped up, making him smile and tears come at the same time. He spoke only two words before turning to leave. "Bye Dad."


	3. Leaving Home

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Star Wars or anything related. Thanks to Darkness1 for taking time from his busy schedule to help me co author this. (I need the help!) I only own the characters and situations in this story.

First order of business: REVIEWS! Thanks to all who have given me some input, especially Darky. Good old RPGs never hurt anything!

Soldierx: I'm working on longer chapters, when time allows. I'm quite a busy dude. Next year, I'm going to high school (WOOT!) and will have even less time to write.

Warrior of the Shadow: Heh heh. Thanks. Utsuru is a cool guy, isn't he? (Thank Darkness1 for him. We brainstormed all of my characters together)

Shanesnest: You may not have reviewed directly, but thanks for the positive words. And did you hear Thomas is joining the Norwegian Navy:o

And now, ONWARDS!

Chapter 3: Leaving

Utsuru walked out to find Kyle sitting in the driver seat of the small SoroSuub speeder, prepping it for take off. He asked, "Why are you driving _my _speeder?"

Kyle looked at him. "I walked all the way here. I'm not walking all the way back to Mos Eisley while you ride there." He patted the passenger seat. "Let's go, we're going to have to sell this. I don't think you'll be back here all that often."

Utsuru laughed. "Fair enough." He ran around to the other side and hopped into the seat. Just as his butt hit the seat, Kyle hit the throttle. The small craft shot forward, repulsors howling, pushing Utsuru and Kyle back into their seats.

Utsuru looked over at Kyle, eyes watering. "I'd cut back the throttle! I tweaked the engine a bit. If you keep going at this pace, the engine will overheat," he yelled over the howling of the wind and the engine.

Kyle, looking a bit disappointed, cut back on the throttle. The engine's high whine became a hum, the wind slowed and the sand didn't look like a huge blonde blur. "We're almost to Mos Eisley. My craft is parked in Docking Bay 95, right next to a speeder salesman. We can pawn this off and I'll get the _Raven's Claw_ warmed up.

The city of Mos Eisley loomed ahead; the familiar dome shaped buildings came into view, along with the huge landing bays. The usual bustle had all but disappeared; only a few citizens were still hanging around, looking for the nearest open cantina. A Bothan walked by, muttering something about, "How does my wife find these places?"

Kyle snapped the speeder next to the used sales lot, the sign reading "Franz's Used Speeders." Their slogan was written below, in smaller letters, "We put the 'speed' back in 'speeder'!"

Kyle jumped out of the speeder, walked over to the door on the office and rapped sharply on the hard wooden surface. "Some service would be nice!" No answer came, so he repeated his actions. "Hello! Customers here, waiting for service!" With again no answer, he kicked the door in, startling the sleeping man behind a small desk in the back.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't hear ya knock. Can I help ya?"

Kyle said, "I've got a small SoroSuub speeder I would like to sell. Two years old, small dent on the rear of the cargo panel and tweaked engine, pushing it at just above 60 MGLT."

The man, nametag reading Hans, ran out, stout legs pumping. He stopped in front of the craft. "Yes. Utsuru's speeder. How are ya lad? Still got the speeder running I see." He laughed and then sighed. "I'll give ya 3000, 1000 under what I sold it to Utsuru for."

Kyle waved his hand in front of the man's face. "You can give us 4000 for the speeder."

The man shook his head. "4000? Too steep. 3500, final offer."

Utsuru nodded. "I'll take it. Any way you can covert those to Republic credits?"

Hans nodded. "Yup, just gimme a minute here." He went back into his office, pulling out a chip with the legal amount of cash. "Here ya go. You leaving for somewhere, Utsuru? I know you wouldn't sell her if you could avoid it."

Kyle waved his hand again. "You don't need to know. Let us go."

Hans waved a hand dismissively, "I don't need to know. I'll let ya get going. See ya around sometime, eh?" With that, he disappeared back into the office and began trying to fix the door.

Utsuru asked Kyle, as soon as they were out of easy hearing distance, even with the door closed, "How did you do that? The bargaining, letting us go without anymore questions. It was amazing!"

Kyle smiled. "One of the useful Force powers. Persuasion is a wonderful skill to have under your belt." He nodded a hello to the man guarding his docking bay. The man moved, letting Utsuru and Kyle in. Sitting on her landing struts, the _Raven's Claw_ was a beautiful ship. Black chrome, dulled over the years, the sand on Tatooine not helping any. Swept back wings, making the ship have the appearance of a diving bird.

Utsuru breathed, "This is yours? Man, she's a beauty." He began circling the ship, starting from the nose, working back to the engines.

Kyle smiled. "We got it after the _Moldy Crow_ was destroyed. Wouldn't have traded that ship for the world. But, this is the next best thing, just upgraded the weapons a few days ago." He opened the ramp. "Enough talk. We gotta get going." He walked up, sitting down in the pilot seat, beginning the pre flight check.

Utsuru followed, standing behind Kyle, watching as the man's hands flew over the controls with practiced ease. Kyle looked back at him. "Don't just stand there. The co pilot seat is empty. It's all yours."

Utsuru plopped down into the rancor leather seat, snapping his harness on. "I'm going to miss this place," he said. "I finally get to see other parts of the galaxy. I should be excited, but yet I'm still sad that I'm leaving."

Kyle engaged the repulsor lifts, raising the ship from the dirt covered floor, kicking up a sandstorm beneath the craft. He looked at Utsuru while engaging the main drives, blasting towards the dark void that is space. "I know the feeling. First time I left Sulon, I felt exactly like this. Now, it's like second nature. It just takes a while to get used to." He smiled at him, eyes twinkling. "Plug in the coordinates for Corellia will ya? We have to make a few more stops, Corellia being number two."

Utsuru looked puzzled, but did as he was told. "It said in the advertisement the Academy was on Yavin IV. Why we going to Corellia?"

Kyle engaged the hyperdrive, the white stars becoming blue streaks. "Did you think I'd come all the way out here just for you? I found out about a few more Force Sensitive youngsters. Tatooine was first; Corellia is next, followed by Kashyyk, Naboo and Coruscant last."

Just then, the ship suddenly got pulled out of hyperspace, the shift extremely rough, snapping them forward against their harnesses.

Kyle cursed. "Blasted Remnant forces." He flipped a switch and unsnapped his harness. "Can you fly this? Controls are similar to a Skyhopper." Without waiting for an answer, he ran back to the turret, pulling the headset on and bringing the controls online.

Utsuru hopped over to the pilot seat, strapping in and pulled on his own headset. "I can fly it, but it may be a bit rough. Haven't flown a Skyhopper in a long time."

Just then, the comm crackled to life, signifying an incoming transmission. "Attention unidentified craft. We have reason to believe you are carrying contraband spices. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded."

Utsuru clicked it off for a second, switching to the internal comm. "What should I do Kyle? Ignore em?"

Kyle answered by blasting the nearest TIE Fighter into pieces, sending the debris smashing into the small Interdictor cruiser. "Show no mercy son. Just make sure I got a clean shot at the fighters."

The Imps called them again. "Prepare to suffer the consequences of messing with the Imperials!" The other fighters broke off from the cruiser, cannons blasting. The lead fighter, an Interceptor with faded green streaks on his solar panels, came streaking past the black ship, causing Utsuru to bank sharply to avoid it.

Kyle shifted the turret to get a better shot at the passing fighter, squeezing a round off, the red lasers striking the wing struts, causing the wing to fall off, making the ship spin out and crash into another TIE, both ships exploding in a ball of superheated ion gas.

Kyle hailed the cruiser. "Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine." He shut off the transmission, switching back to internal comms. "Utsuru, target the cruiser. Fire off four torpedoes at the engines."

Utsuru said, "Kyle, I'm not sure about this. We could get in more trouble then we're already in."

Kyle shot back, "We won't be able to get outta here without that cruiser taken out. It's the only thing that can follow us. TIEs don't have a hyperdrive. Do it!"

Utsuru sighed and did as he was told, firing off two rounds of two torps, the _whoosh_ echoing throughout the cockpit. The projectiles shot out of the bays, speeding towards its target. When they hit, the engines on the Imperial cruiser ignited then faded out. The cruiser slowly glided to a stop, fighters opening fire with a final salvo of laser cannon fire, bouncing off the deflector shield.

Kyle switched over to the Imperial comm frequency, asking, "Had enough yet? Or should I finish off your fighters?"

The Imperials sighed. "Fine. We're recalling our fighters. You may pass through to your destination." The comm clicked off, signaling the Imperial had signed off.

Utsuru sighed, pulling his headset off, reengaging the hyperdrive, just as Kyle walked into the cockpit. "Was that really necessary? We could have just jumped again."

The old Jedi Master sat down in the copilot seat. "Don't you know anything? Interdictors stop hyperspace jumps. We could have been blasted."

"We _could_ have just put a death toll on our heads! We could be wanted criminals! I thought I was going to be a Jedi, not some galactic criminal!" Utsuru burst out, glancing at Kyle.

"We're coming up on Corellia; get ready to take us in. Good flying by the way," Kyle said, leaning back in his chair.

The blue blur of hyperspace once again changed back to white dotted space as the ship reverted to realspace. Utsuru calmly sent the ship in on a landing vector, just as the comm crackled.

"Welcome back Master Katarn. You're free to land on the usual platform. CorSec out."

Utsuru looked over at Kyle, puzzled. "What's up with this? I thought we'd have to go through some landing protocol. They'd want to know what I had for breakfast this morning; they'd want to know what my _mother_ had for breakfast!"

Kyle smiled. "Being a Jedi Master has its upsides. Corellia has plenty of Force Sensitive people kicking around, so they're used to seeing me." Just then, the nav computer beeped with the landing coordinates. "Land on platform 1324 B, just about here," Kyle said, pointing at the map.

Utsuru glided the ship in, engaging the repulsorlifts to cushion the landing. As soon as the ship set down, the ramp automatically opened and Kyle jumped out of his seat.

"We're going to the east side arena, about a klick from here. We're renting a speeder. Your pick." Kyle had that mischievous glint in his eyes, ready for anything as he strode down the ramp, checking his equipment as Utsuru looked around at the speeders, finally settling on an old SoroSuub V-35 Courier with an added air intake, boosting the speed to about 120 MGLT.

"Nice choice lad. We're picking up two people from here. We're going to need the extra room." Kyle plopped into the passenger seat, almost glumly. "I suppose you get to drive this time. But I call it on the way back!"

Utsuru climbed in, engaging the engine and pushing the craft to 90 percent throttle, zooming away from the platform. Buildings and people whizzed by, nothing more than a black or colored blur to the eye. A giant arena loomed ahead, about the size of Jabba's Palace back on Tatooine. He snapped the speeder to a halt, shutting down the engine, climbing out; making sure his lightsaber was still there.

Kyle walked up to the doors, ignoring the ticket booth, where the attendant yelled at him for not paying. Utsuru smiled sheepishly, following in Kyle's footsteps into the giant building.

Looking around, he saw Kyle walking a bit ahead of him, towards a young teen, about 17 years of age. The youth had an old Merr-Sonn Power 5 strapped to his left thigh, a vibroblade in its holster on his right.

"Can I help ya pal? If not, buzz off!" The teen glanced at Kyle, obviously irritated at being disturbed.

Kyle, giving the boy an equally irritated look, said, "Dane Cuylov or Aria Toonsan'tri. Know where they are?"

The teen pointed to the far side of the arena. "Check over in that quadrant. Dane's usually on the west side of Quad 2, Aria on the east. Can I go back to my training now, old fart?"

An invisible hand grabbed the front of the teen's tunic, holding him in the air, feet dangling. "Excuse me?" Kyle hissed, eyes glowing slightly white. "That's no way to talk to a Jedi Master who could easily knock your sorry hide into next week!" He put the scared boy down. "Care to try that again?"

The boy took one last look at Kyle, then ran away, dust flying. "You're a freak man! A freak!"

Kyle sighed. "Kids these days. No respect." He smiled at Utsuru. "Well, I guess we're going to find Dane. Coming or not?" Without waiting for a response, he ran off, leaping over another trainee who was sparring with a combat droid.

Utsuru smiled, following after Kyle, landing right behind the man, running to find a teen about 14 sparring with a droid. With a skilled flick of his wrist, the droid's head flew off, landing with a muffled thud on the sand covered floor.

The boy looked over at Kyle and Utsuru. "LOOK OUT!" A droid came out behind them, blasters ready to blast them to shreds. Kyle's lightsaber was out and activated in a split second, slicing off the head. He walked forward, extinguishing the glowing blue blade.

"Dane Cuylov? I'm Kyle Katarn and this is my colleague Utsuru Yabonaba. We're from the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV."

Dane looked at him, twin vibro blade still glinting in his hand. "Okay. So? What can I do for ya?"

Kyle said, "You can take some time to answer a few questions. Too much to ask of ya lad?"

"Not really," Dane said, walking over to a bench on the side on the edge of the ring, pulling his weapon apart into two separate swords, sliding them into two holsters on his back. "Obviously this is about my Force Sensitivity, right? Some sweet talk to convince me to come over to the Jedi."

Kyle laughed, a sound Utsuru had come to get used to, saying, "Yessir. You're a fast one. So, when did ya figure out you were Force Sensitive? Your parents tell ya about it or did ya find out on yer own?"

Dane shook his head. "Parents didn't tell me. Mom is dead and Dad's been kidnapped by Mandalorian raiders. Haven't heard from Dad for three months."

Utsuru, looking the boy square in the eye, said sincerely, "Sorry about your family. Must be hard for ya to live by yourself."

The younger boy shook his head. "Nah. I've got Aria to keep me company." He rose, stretching quickly. "So, I'll make ya a deal. If Utsuru here can beat me in a duel, I'll go with ya. If I win, I'll make up my own mind." His viboblade was already out, ready to fight.

"I'll take that. You're on!" Utsuru rose slowly, looking around for a weapons rack of some sort. "I don't want to use my saber unless there are no other blades around."

As if on cue, a small, slender weapons rack slid out of a groove in the ground, filled with every known blade in the galaxy.

Utsuru walked over, scanned through and pulled out a vibrosword. "This seems good to me. Let's go Dane." He slid into his spread legged stance, weapon held in front of him, waiting for an attack.

He didn't have to wait long. Dane leapt into the air, left blade swiping in, right angled towards the ceiling. A small shift on Utsuru's part and he was able to block the attack, sending sparks flying every which way, landing in the sand, on their robes.

Utsuru pushed forward with his blade, driving it closer to Dane's body, aiming for a hit on the chest, which would end it. Right before he achieved his goal, Dane stepped back, causing his opponent to lose his balance. Utsuru stumbled, leaving an opening for Dane to attack, which he gladly took, aiming a blow at Utsuru's back.

At the last second, Utsuru rolled over, causing Dane's blade to get stuck in the sand for a second, giving him time to get his weapon ready. "Not bad Dane. You almost had me there."

Dane grunted, both in thanks and effort from trying to catch his breath. "Not too shabby yourself. You ever fought professionally?" He moved to the right, alerting Utsuru, who moved with him, keeping his blade ready for an attack.

"Can't say I have. Practiced a few times in a simulator back on Tatooine." Just then, remembering the feeling trying to get his blaster back, he tried to Pull at Dane's weapon. Surprisingly enough, half flew towards him. Not expecting it, Utsuru half caught, half dropped the weapon.

Dane nearly lost his jaw to the sand covered floor. "What was THAT?"

Utsuru looked at Dane, matching his surprise. "Just luck of the Force." He then lunged, swords coming from the left and the right at once, causing Dane to fall back onto his butt with a thump. Utsuru simply touched Dane's chest. "Touché, my friend."

Dane rose, taking back the other half of his weapon, tucking it and the other into their sheaths. "Very well done. I shouldn't have underestimated you. I will keep my part of the bargain." He looked at Kyle and bowed respectfully. "I am ready to depart Master."

Kyle smiled. "Nice to have you on board. Where's Aria?"

Dane frowned thoughtfully. "She's normally here by now. We take a snack break and then spar for another ten minutes." He squinted at the other end of the arena, looking for any movement at all. "Blast it Aria! Where are you?"

Kyle sighed. "We don't have time to try and find her. We have to go." He began walking towards the exit, with Utsuru only three steps behind. Dane looked around once more, then sadly, followed the others.

Utsuru hopped in the back, letting Dane have the front seat, while Kyle gunned the engines. "We're heading off planet to pick up a couple more students. We've got to go to Kashyyk, Naboo, and Coruscant, each with one student to pick up." He shot out of the parking area, nearly flattening a walking Zabrak who cursed at Kyle, yelling, "Watch where you're driving ya moron!" before continuing into the arena.

A few minutes later, Kyle parked the speeder back into its place and ran to start the preflight check. "We'll be outta here in a couple of minutes, just gotta warm up the _Raven._" Right before he disappeared up the ramp, a hail of blaster fire stormed down from an unseen opponent, right where Kyle was headed. The bolts bounced off the reflective hull, landing in the ground with a puff of smoke.

"IMPERIALS!" Kyle roared, lightsaber out and already moving to try and find the adversary. "Dane, Utsuru, get the ship warmed up! Be ready to get the heck outta here!" Without waiting for a response, Kyle bolted with speed humanly impossible to the last location of fire.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Dane was already moving, running up the ramp, and starting the preflight check. Utsuru looked back at the hill Kyle had ran over, then ducked into the hold, running towards the cockpit. Dane was hitting switches, warming up the repulsorlifts.

"Dane, flick the switch on the underside of the control board. We might need the extra fire power." Utsuru was already going back to the gun turret, heard the whine of the blasters coming online. He jumped down the tube, landing in the seat, pulling on the headset and gripped the controls. "Rotate 90 degrees clockwise and rise about four or five feet. I'm going to need the leverage."

Dane acknowledged and followed the instructions. He just sat there, waiting for some action. He didn't have to wait long.

Another laser blast, this one bigger than anything he had ever felt before rocked the whole ship. Dane cried, "What was that? Took the shields down to 80 percent!"

Utsuru whipped the turret in the direction of the fire and saw a TIE Fighter hovering nearby. "TIE Fighter. Not a smart pilot though." He rotated the turret and pulled the trigger, spewing red bolts at the ship, which exploded violently.

Dane crowed, "Nice shot! Kyle's coming down from the hill. We're gonna land for a second." The ship settled to the ground and the ramp lowered. Kyle's boots thudded up the ramp, followed by two other footfalls on the metal.

Kyle popped into the hold. "Guys, found a new friend for us. Dane, I think you know Aria." He stepped aside to reveal a blue skinned Twi'Lek, about 15 and wearing a black outfit similar to Dane's.

"Hi. Dane, thought we were meeting at the west end for sparring practice. Why didn't you come and get me?"

Dane smacked his forehead. "Blast! The west end! I thought it was the east end, where we normally meet!"

Aria smacked him in the back of the head and went to grab a shower as Kyle blasted off into space for their next destination: Kashyyk.


	4. A Walking Carpet, A Farmer And A Punk

Star Wars

New Arrival

Chapter 4

A Walking Carpet, A Farmer and A Punk

Disclaimer: I own lots of Star Wars paraphernalia but I don't own the rights to the books, movies, or video games. Wish I did though.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated this in a loooooooong time but I've been writing other stories and whatnot, so this kinda got pushed to the back burner, along with a few of my other stories. All will be updated soon. Keep reading and reviewing!

Now, to refresh your memory, we have Kyle, Utsuru, Dane and Aria on board the _Raven's Claw_ and are heading for the Wookiee home world of Kashyyk. This should be interesting to say the least. Not one person speaks Shyriiwook. Hope Kyle has a translator droid on board.

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The ship shuddered as it shifted from the whirling vortex of hyperspace and back to the black star blotted canvas that is realspace. Kyle Katarn sat at the controls of the _Raven's Claw_ and said, "Strap in back there! We're going in for a descent and it's going to be rocky!"

The teens nodded and followed the instructions, snapping their harnesses in and Dane said sarcastically, "Great. I just _love_ descents onto planets where huge walking furballs growl and tower above us, making it seem like we're the next dinner course."

Utsuru looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "How would you know what Wookiees are like? You've probably never even met one, let alone been to their homeworld." He gripped his harness tighter as the ship seemed to have a spasm as it entered Kashyyk's atmosphere. After a minute or two, it smoothed out and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The ramp hissed open, followed by a loud cry from a Wookiee nearby. Kyle came out of the cockpit, pulling his worn Jedi robes onto his shoulders and paused by a small equipment locker and pulled out a small translator droid. He clipped it to his shoulder and turned it on; it beeped twice, signaling that is was on and ready for use. He asked, "Anyone wanna come with me and meet our new friend?"

Utsuru was already out of his harness and standing next to Kyle, lightsaber and a small blaster pistol clipped to his belt. "Let's go, Kyle." He smiled as Kyle ruffled his hair slightly.

"Well, if you two chickens aren't coming, keep the ship locked and don't do anything inappropriate because I'll know. There are a few cameras in every room, even the washroom, so don't get smart. Clear?" Kyle said, his eyes stone cold, looking more like blue black holes than the glittering gems they had all grown to like so much.

Both responded with a serious, "Yes sir" before Kyle and Utsuru walked out, the ramp closing behind them with a hiss of hydraulics and a clang of metal on metal.

A tall Wookiee with dark brown hair with gray streaks stood before them and howled something that the droid translated as, "Welcome to Kashyyk honorable Jedi. How may we serve you?"

Kyle and Utsuru bowed respectfully and Kyle responded, "Thank you for your hospitable welcome. My companion and I come here in search of a Wookiee by the name of Rosyyr. I understand from another member of the Wookiee High Council that he is a Force Sensitive."

The Wookiee growled and hooted as he waved them to follow. "Yes, one of our members did contact you about our young Wookiee friend. He is currently in his home with his parents. Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Frembacca." They stopped at the edge of a large gap that fell into the depths of the forest below. "One moment and we will have vines to swing across. Make sure you have a good grip on them. You would not like to get caught in the underbelly of the city. Lots of dangerous animals down there that only a bowcaster could succumb." He growled and hooted again, and three vines came sailing across from the other side of the ravine.

Kyle grabbed on and asked, "Utsuru, you sure you're up to this? These vines are slippery and you might fall off." He held onto the third vine and offered it to Utsuru as Frembacca barked.

"I could carry the young one across on my back if he would prefer that instead of the vines." He looked at Utsuru for an answer, his blue eyes comforting.

Utsuru looked at the gap and the vines once more before saying, "I'll take the vine across this time, but I might take you up on that offer for a ride on the way back, if that's all right sir."

The Wookiee growled back, "Certainly. Please, call me Frembacca. That would greatly please me. Now, we will continue our conversation on the other side. Please follow me." He grabbed a vine, took a running leap and sailed across the gap and landed on the other side, waving for them to follow suite.

Utsuru looked at Kyle. "Wanna do it at the same time?"

Kyle's eyes twinkled as he replied, "Let's do it. On three, okay?" He took about four steps backwards, the vine gripped firmly in his hands, Utsuru also gripping the vine for dear life. "One, two, THREE!" Kyle and Utsuru burst off running and jumped from the platform, sailing across the gap easily, Utsuru howling with delight.

"That was AWESOME! I've never had so much fun in my life! I can't wait to do that again. Adrenaline rush, man. Woo!" He landed and shook his head a couple times to calm down.

Frembacca looked at Kyle and growled questioningly, "Are all young ones of your species this energetic, Master Jedi?"

"Not all of them. Utsuru is just a kid who isn't used to this kind of transportation, seeing as he grew up on a desert planet far from here. You'll have to forgive him, Frembacca and call me Kyle."

They continued chatting idly as they walked across the wooden walkways and sailed across more gaps before finally coming to a stop outside a house that looked much like the other buildings they had passed on the way. The Wookiee leader walked up to the door and knocked loudly and an answering roar reached their ears, which the droid translated as "I'd prefer not to repeat what was just said." Kyle shook his head and rolled his eyes while muttering, "Never did like droids much."

A young Wookiee with dark black fur and blue eyes emerged from the house and growled a question at Kyle. "Are you the Jedi who was sent to pick me up?"

Kyle nodded and said, "I'm Kyle Katarn from the Jedi Academy on Yavin IV. This is Utsuru Yabonaba, one of your fellow students. You are Rosyyr?" He bowed to the large Wookiee, who was about a foot and a half taller than him.

"I am he," the Wookiee growled. "Would you like to meet my family? I am fairly certain they would not like me going off with a complete, I believe the human term is, nut job." He chuckled, sounding like short barks from a vornskr. He turned and retreated back into his house, the sound of his laughter fading slightly.

Kyle shrugged and beckoned Utsuru to follow him into the building, which was carved into the trunk of a tree. "We need to meet the folks before taking the big guy away," he said and walked through the door, Utsuru close behind.

The building itself looked like any other house on any given planet. It had a table with four chairs in the kitchen, a living room with a sofa, a few chairs and a coffee table and doors that led into bedrooms and the washroom, only the furniture was made out of wood. A large gray haired Wookiee male and a dark brown haired female Wookiee were sitting at the table, Rosyyr standing next to his father.

The father rose and bowed to Kyle and Utsuru and said, "Greetings Master Jedi. We have been expecting you since your communication three days ago. We were beginning to wonder if you would show up sometime this cycle or not. My name is Josyyr, and this is my wife Halia. Would you like to have a seat?"

Kyle shook his head. "No thank you Josyyr. We are merely here to ask a few questions and be on our way. Please, call me Kyle." He placed his hands into the opposite robe cuffs and stood near the table, Utsuru following suite.

"Very well. Before you ask us anything, we have no say in this matter. It is all up to Rosyyr as he has recently passed the manhood ritual. He only remains here because he has not found himself a mate yet." The father said, sitting down once again.

"I see," Kyle replied, turning his gaze to the younger Wookiee. "May I ask as to when you first figured out you had the Force?"

The Wookiee growled and hooted. "It was quite by accident actually. I was swinging across a gap in our village when I lost my grip on the vine and started to fall into the underbelly. After seeing that the vine was a short distance away, I reached my hand out and missed. I wished the vine was just a little closer and it moved just enough so I could grab it and climb out."

"Have you had any Jedi in you lineage? Relatives on either side of the family?" Kyle asked.

The young and old males shook their heads. Josyyr spoke first. "We have no history of Force Sensitivity in our lineage, which is why I find the fact he has the Force a tad unnerving."

"I see. Well, this leads me to my last question for our friend here." Kyle turned to regard Rosyyr. "Are you going to stay here or come with us to train to become a Jedi?"

Rosyyr looked at his father and mother, then looked at Kyle. He walked over to his parents and gave them a hug before growling, "I'm going to come with you, Master Katarn. I wish to train to become a Jedi." He crossed over to Kyle and said, "I am ready to leave now."

Kyle bowed to the older Wookiees and said, "I will take personal pride in training your son to the best of my abilities; I give you my word on that." He nodded at the exit and said, "After you Rosyyr."

The large Wookiee strode out the door, a large bowcaster and bandolier strung from his shoulders, a large leather pouch hanging from the bandolier. He growled, saying, "Are we heading straight to the Academy?" Vines came across the gap, reaching the hands of the apprentices and the Master at the same time.

While swinging across the gap, Kyle howled, "No, I need to make a couple more stops first. First one is Naboo to pick up a young girl, then we are heading to Coruscant to get a young man, near the reconstructed Senate district." His boots connected sharply with the wooden platform below him.

"Very well. I can stay and guard the ship if you'd like," Rosyyr said as they walked, eventually reaching the ship with much banter.

Kyle chuckled. "I suppose you can if you want, but we are dropping in directly on the girl's farm. I already talked to her family quickly, and they agreed to send her off. Funny thing is, she had already 'persuaded' them to let her go, if you get my drift." He opened the hatch of the _Claw_ and waved the others through, following shortly after.

The low sounds of muttered curses reached the Jedi Master's ears. He looked around the corner and saw Dane and Aria, locked in a heated game of dejarik. Shaking his head, he headed to the cockpit to see Utsuru and Rosyyr already running the pre-flight checks. He simply sat down behind them and said, "You want to take her our, Utsuru?"

The teen jumped and asked, "Are you serious? I mean, this is your ship, after all." He turned to face the older man, getting ready to leave the pilot chair, but sat back down when Kyle waved a hand.

"Go ahead. You'll need the practice in a ship's cockpit, trust me." He leaned back into the seat, closing his eyes as the engines started to hum, the repulsorlifts kicking in and lifting the ship from the pad and into the air. A few seconds later, the engines made a resounding BOOM as they ignited, trailing a column of blue fire through Kashyyk's atmosphere. Soon, the greenery below became nothing but a blur and the sky became steadily darker. Soon, it was dotted with white stars.

"We're out of the planet's gravity well and can jump to hyperspace immediately. Just give the word… and the coordinates would be nice." Utsuru said, a smile playing across his features.

Kyle smacked him playfully in the back of the head, saying, "You know darn well that the coordinates are already plugged in and ready to go. Just call them up and hit the lever, you dolt!" He laughed as Utsuru looked hurt. "Oh, you'll get over it soon enough."

"Oh right," Utsuru said as he pulled the lever, shooting the ship into the strange universe known as hyperspace, "like you make it a habit of insulting your students?" He swiveled the chair to face him, eyes dancing with light amusement.

Rosyyr snorted, which the droid translated as, "Oh please. This is normal banter on my home planet and you're making a big deal about it?" He sighed. "I don't think I'll ever understand human behavior." He turned his chair around and went back to chat with Aria and Dane in the back.

Utsuru sighed, staring at the instruments, their glow somewhat comforting, reassuring. Kyle moved up to the copilot seat and asked, "You miss your family, don't you?"

Utsuru, not looking away from the panels, nodded. "I've never been away from home this long, or this far away for that matter." He stifled a yawn.

Kyle said, "It takes some getting used to, that's for sure. Why don't you go grab some sleep? I can handle things here for now. I'll wake you up when we reach Naboo, if you'd like."

Utsuru unstrapped himself from the pilot chair, saying, "Thanks Kyle. I could use a nap. I'll get up when I feel like it. Just grab whatever her name is and get to Coruscant. Now that is something I want to see." He trudged off to the rear quarters, passing a game of dejarik being played by Rosyyr and Dane. He remembered a quote he had heard a while back, said by one Han Solo. "That's because a droid doesn't pull a person's arms outta their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that."

He reached the back room and flopped down on the sleep couch. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow; the engines creating a calming hum around him.

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The shudder ran through the hull of the ship as it reverted back to realspace, snapping Utsuru awake in about two seconds. He rolled off the sleep couch, ruffling his hair quickly and opening the door to the rear quarters.

"Hey, here comes Sleeping Womprat! How'd ya sleep?" Dane asked jokingly, now playing Aria at the dejarik table, moving a game piece forward.

He called, "Oh shut it. You're just jealous of my hair. All you have is fuzz," and ducked into the cockpit as a hard plastic drink cup bounced off the door.

Kyle turned around from the console and asked, "Do I want to know?" He reached up and flicked a switch, causing the comm to send out a series of coded blips.

"Not really. Let's just say, Dane is sensitive about his hair."

The comm squawked loudly with some static before a female voice came through. "Master Katarn! I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me! I've been ready since your last visit a few days ago."

The old man smiled at the eagerness in the voice. "I'm on my way down Niana. Don't get your nerfs outta line. Give me 2 minutes and you'll be on your way to Coruscant to get our last initiate." He sent the ship into a dive, screaming down through the atmosphere.

Utsuru sat down in the copilot chair and said, "Shield status at 95, 80, 75, 65, 50… Okay, we've leveled out in the main atmosphere and the shields are stabilizing at 47 percent. So, her name is Niana, eh?"

Kyle laughed. "You haven't even seen her and you've developed a crush on her? You're worse than I was with Jan." He leveled the ship off, jets of steam hissing from the repulsorlifts as he settled down in front of a small farming homestead.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me! I just liked the name, is that a crime?" Utsuru said, raising his hands in frustration. "Oh brother! I thought Jasmine was bad." He followed Kyle out into the main area, just as the ramp hissed down.

A few seconds later, the sound of clicking heels on the ramp reached everyone's ears. A face and body was soon placed with the heels. A girl with a tan tunic and brown pants under a black robe, black hair framing her face. Green eyes shone out like streetlights on Christmas Eve. She smiled warmly upon seeing everyone and jokingly said, "Gang's all here! I'm Niana Typho, nice to meet all of ya." She sat down on a bench by the ramp and asked, "So, when we getting off this rock?"

Kyle laughed. "We're leaving now. I'll let you guys get better acquainted, considering you're the group of kids I'm going to be training." He walked back to the cockpit, Utsuru close behind. Kyle looked at him and said, "Why aren't you out there with the others?"

Utsuru shrugged and sat down, flicking some switches, getting the _Raven's Claw_ prepped for takeoff. "Not a big social person I guess. Never did have many friends back home." He strapped in as Kyle lifted the ship into the air with a slight bump and groan as the landing struts retracted into the body. A loud BOOM soon followed and they rocketed up into the atmosphere once again.

"Go back there, son. I'm sure I can handle the ship by myself; I've done it before ya know." Kyle indicated the door behind him. "Go wan! Go have some fun." He smiled warmly and said, "But wait until I jump to hyperspace first." He reached over and pulled the lever down for the second last time, sending the ship rocketing forward into hyperspace once again. A chorus of curses and growling came from the hold.

"Guess I'll go see about that 'disturbance'," Utsuru said, opening the door with a hiss, lightsaber swinging from his belt. He asked, "Everyone okay back here?"

Niana was still wobbling around like she had had too much to drink. "I'm not sure I can speak for the rest of us, but I'm feeling a little weird." She found her way to a seat and put a hand to her head.

Rosyyr growled something and surprisingly, Niana nodded. "I heard that the first couple jumps are the weirdest. Guess it's true so far." She laughed and everyone, including Rosyyr, looked at her like she had grown an extra head.

Utsuru was the first to get over the shock. "You speak Wookiee? Major case of 'What in all nine Corellian hells is going on here?'" He scratched his head in mild confusion.

Aria spoke next, saying, "Yea, care to explain how you can understand the walking carpet here and we can't?" She got a growl from Rosyyr and she sheepishly apologized.

"Simple. I got bored and I have a Wookiee friend in Theed. He taught me the language so I could understand him. It was either than, or get a translator droid, which I kinda don't like all that much." Niana rose and asked, "Which way's the 'fresher?"

Utsuru pointed off to the rear. "Head back there. Should be right by the rear quarters, but if you hit the engine bay, you've gone too far." He pointed to the dejarik table. "Anybody up for a game?"

Dane nodded. "I'm in. Winner buys dinner when we get to Coruscant?" He sat down, running a hand through his hair, which was anything but 'fuzz' as Utsuru had called it earlier.

"Fair enough, but I don't see you with any credits and I know a person of your stature would carry credits in a belt so he couldn't get pick-pocketed." Utsuru said, smirking triumphantly when Dane grinned and laughed nervously. "How about if I win, you do my laundry for a month at the Academy. You win, I buy dinner and do your laundry for two weeks."

Dane mulled it over quickly. "You got yourself a deal, pal. Have fun with my tunics. Delicate cycle, if you please." He rubbed his hands together in anticipation. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby.

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Ten minutes later, Dane sat, open-mouthed at the sight before him. Utsuru had come from behind and smacked him so hard, his head spun. "I… but… you…" Dane continued to stutter as Aria shook her head.

"Maybe this will teach you not to gamble when something like laundry is on the line, Dane old boy," she laughed, clutching her side. Everyone joined in, even Dane.

"I'll never get tired of gambling. It's quite fun actually." Dane rose, cracking his knuckles. "Well, by the sound of the shower shutting off and the hyper reactor rumbling to a low growl, Niana has finally finished in the 'fresher and we've reached Coruscant. Don't suppose you'll buy me a meal anyways, Utsuru?" He smiled as sweetly as he could.

Rosyyr growled something and Aria asked, "What did he say?"

"He said that he could eat a whole pack of quillarats and still not be hungry," Niana replied, coming out of the back, fully clothed and hair, which was in a ponytail, dried off.

Dane and Utsuru both looked puzzled and asked, "What, pre tell, is a quillarat?"

Kyle popped out of the cockpit and said, "Do some research on it once we get back to the Academy. We'll be there after we get this last guy. I'll find Valin and you guys can go get something to eat a really good diner I know." His robe was on and hiding his saber.

Dane asked, "Food? There's going to be food?" He started dancing happily. "Oh, happy day!" He practically ran down the ramp in excitement.

Kyle shook his head and sighed. "All right, let's go see if we can restrain him some how." He was still shaking his head as he walked out to find Dane drooling on a nearby vendor's display of turnovers.

"Turnover…" Dane kept repeating the word over and over as if it was sacred somehow. The vendor was keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't drool in the food or steal anything. Kyle dragged him away, much to Dane's protest.

"Sorry about that sir. He hasn't eaten anything for a couple hours. We're heading over to Frieden's place as soon as I… can… get … him… to … stop… drooling!" Each pause was accented with a grunt as Kyle struggled to keep Dane from killing the vendor to get to the food. With a loud growl, Kyle heaved back and the teen fell backwards onto his rear.

"Thanks mister. He was going to ruin my food, I know it." The vendor said sincerely and glared daggers at Dane, who smiled sheepishly.

Kyle mimicked the glare of the vendor and hissed, "Calm down! What part of 'I'll find Valin and you guys can go get something to eat a really good diner I know' did you not understand?" He shook his head and shoved him forward. "Get into the speeder bus now before I get even more ticked at you."

The group hustled quickly and quietly into the bus and Kyle said, "Thirty credits for you to take me and my friends here to the Astro café." He slipped the driver some coins and the man driving nodded. The bus started with a rumble and sped off towards the Astro café, just as he was paid to do.

As soon as the bus landed, Dane ran off first, and stood in front of the building waiting for the others. They were out soon enough, Rosyyr with a little bit of trouble. Kyle passed Utsuru a large handful of credits. "There is enough there to cover anything; just tell the chef that you're here on my treat. You'll get a discount. I'm going to head to the Senate district and be back in twenty minutes. Don't do anything stupid." With that, he was back on the bus.

Dane rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Let's go get some food man! What are we waiting for?" He shoved Utsuru towards the door.

"Okay, okay! We're going already!" Utsuru opened the door and waved everyone inside. Niana, who was the last one in, said a polite 'Thank you'. As soon as they walked in, a waitress droid about four or five years out of date rolled up.

"How many ya seating today?" The voice was extremely tinny. She clicked her fingers impatiently.

Niana said, "Five for us please. Could we speak to the chef? It has to do with a friend of his." She passed it a credit chip and jerked her head towards the kitchen flap.

Sucking the credit into her hand, she wheeled over to the window and called, "You got some visitors honey. Jedi, by the looks of 'em." She wheeled away to prepare a table for the group as a large, scaly head popped out from the window and looked at them.

"I don't know you, do I? You don't look familiar. Been here before?" His voice was gruff, like sandpaper. Four arms were steadily working; one was cleaning the counter, two were cooking and one was drying dishes that were on an overhead rack.

Utsuru stepped forward and said, "We're friends of Kyle Katarn. He said to talk to you about some food." He passed the credits over to him. The giant alien pocketed them and smiled.

"Any friend of Kyle's is a friend of mine. Go out to your table. I'll bring some stuff out for ya in a second. You want a cup of Jawa juice to go with that?"

Everyone nodded and he disappeared in a cloud of steam. They headed off to an extremely large table at the back, large enough for all of them and a few more. Utsuru sat on the inside by the wall, Niana next to him. Aria and Dane sat across from them and Rosyyr sat down next to Niana. They were chatting idly when the large alien popped out, carrying two trays heaped with food and drinks.

Placing them down, he passed out a plate of a turnover and vegetables to each of them, a larger portion of the Wookiee, and the glass of cold Jawa juice. "So, Kyle sent ya, eh? How is the old guy? Haven't seen him in awhile." He sat down, sighing heavily as he did so. "Oh, by the way, name is Astro Jettster."

After swallowing a bite of the turnover, Dane asked, "You wouldn't be related to Dexter Jettster by chance?"

The alien nodded. "Yessir. He was my great-great grandfather. He passed the business onto my great grandfather, who passed it to my grandfather, who passed it to my father, who in turn passed it to me. No surprise there, eh?"

Utsuru chuckled. "Not really. So, how long have you been working here?" He bit into his own turnover, followed by a swig of juice. He sighed contentedly, as it had been a long time since he had eaten anything.

"About ten years or so, excluding the time I worked here with my father, which was about another five or so. Dad showed me all the tricks of the trade." Just then, the door jangled open and Kyle walked in, followed by a teen about 15. The younger man had short cut red hair, a black tunic with a leather jerkin on over it and black leather boots that stopped at his knees.

Astro rose, with a bit of difficulty and called happily, "Kyle! How ya been ya old rascal?" He sauntered forward and gave Kyle a large hug.

"Could be better Astro. How's the business? My kids giving you any trouble?" He looked at them all. He looked at Dane in particular, who smiled angelically.

Astro shook his large head. "Nope, they've been eating and chatting with me."

"Sorry," Kyle said, "but I gotta be getting this kids back to the Academy. We're going to miss the opening assembly if we don't hurry. So what are you guys still sitting around for? Let's get outta here!" He waved at the door.

They rose obediently and filed out back into the bus, waving a goodbye to Astro. Kyle gave Astro a small tip for 'babysitting.' "Landing platform 12-APD-23 on the double! I'll pay for any speeding tickets you get." The bus rocketed off into the sky, leaving a small scorch mark as evidence.

An hour and 2 speeding tickets later, they reached the _Raven's Claw_. After a small apology and a large tip for the driver, they all ran up the ramp. Kyle said, "Everyone, meet Valin Tachi. I'm sure you'll all want to get caught up, so have fun. Utsuru, sit down… Now." Kyle said, seeing Utsuru rising and heading off to the cockpit.

The brown haired teen obliged, sitting back down as Kyle ran off to start the engines. "So, Valin Tachi, eh? Related to Siri Tachi, I'm guessing." He leaned back and stretched his long legs out in front of him.

He nodded. "Yea, I am, actually. Goes back about three generations. I lived in the roughest section of the Senate district. Lots of gangs around that area." He mimicked Utsuru, legs out in front of him, arms folded across his broad chest. "So, you're Utsuru? Got a last name?"

The conversation raged on, no one even noticing the rough shift from real to hyperspace. About an hour later, the ship reemerged in front of the fourth moon in the Yavin system. A luscious looking planet, to be sure.

Kyle keyed the comm, saying, "Academy, this is the _Claw_ back from pickup missions 45 thru 51. Requesting landing clearance." He turned the ship towards the blip on his map as Luke Skywalker's voice filled the speakers.

"Permission granted _Claw_. We're just about to start the ceremony. Base out."

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A/N: New chapter finished! Hope you all enjoyed it. Read and review!

Dash


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